Local fisherman catches big break

11:35 PM,
Jul. 17, 2013

Fayetteville's Brandon Lester shows off one of the largemouth bass he caught in a recent Bassmaster Southern Open Tournament. He recently became the first angler from Middle Tennessee to qualify for the Elite Series.

Written by

Instead of deciding on the type of job he wanted to have when he grew up, Brandon Lester decided at an early age he'd simply rather not work.

"When I was about 10 or 11 I'd watch Bill Dance and Roland Martin and Jimmy Houston on TV catching fish for a living and I remember thinking, 'I want to be like those guys,' " said Lester, a Fayetteville resident.

The fact that pro anglers such as Dance, Martin and Houston were among the very few people who were good enough to make a living on the water never hindered Lester. That's why, 15 years later, he finds himself on the way to following their wake. ...